The Croft port house was originally established in 1678 as Phayre and Bradley. Yhe first Croft (from York, England) became a partner in 1736 and after several name changes, the company has been known as Croft since 1769.

In 1911 the firm was taken over by Gilbeys, which in more recent years became part of what is now Diageo. The Port side of Croft was sold to Taylor Fonseca (now named The Fladgate Partnership) in 2001.